Hassanein Hiridjee’s AXIAN rebrands fintech unit across Africa

Madagascar-based conglomerate AXIAN Group, under the leadership of Hassanein Hiridjee, one of Africa’s most inspiring businessmen, has rebranded its fintech division as Digibank & Fintech, thus replacing the former name Open Innovation & Fintech. The move reflects the company’s ambition to expand technology-driven financial services across the continent.

Fintech rebrand strengthens governance board

Digibank & Fintech operates in Madagascar, Comoros, Senegal, Tanzania and Togo, overseeing AXIAN’s flagship mobile money brands, MVola and Mixx. The division aims to turn mobile money into full digital banking, offering a unified platform for individuals, entrepreneurs, small and medium-sized businesses and large corporations.

The rebrand consolidates AXIAN’s fintech operations under a single identity. Mixx by Yas unites previously separate local brands linked to partners such as Tigo in Tanzania, Free in Senegal, and Togocom in Togo. The rebranding also coincides with the appointment of a strengthened board to guide growth and governance.

Board adds global finance, tech leaders

The new board combines international experience in finance, technology, and mobile money. Karim Tadjeddine of TMoney SA, co-founder and senior advisor at Partech Impact, spent 16 years at McKinsey and served at the French Treasury. Henri Rabarijohn, representing MVola, is a former Governor of the Central Bank of Madagascar and ex-Chairman of BNI Madagascar, with more than 20 years in development finance.

Other board members include William Nkontchou, co-founder of the Africa Financial Institutions Investment Platform and former head of Emerging Capital Partners; Brad Jones, with decades of mobile money experience across Asia; and Georg Hauer, who brings expertise in digital banking from N26 and Hawk.

Hiridjee said, “This new name embodies our belief that technology and finance must empower every African. We aim to unlock the continent’s digital economy and give people the tools to build their future.” Erwan Gelebart, CEO of AXIAN Digibank & Fintech, added, “We are honored to welcome leaders who have shaped fintech worldwide and who will help us deliver better services.”

AXIAN strengthens enterprise connectivity

AXIAN Group, active in six African countries, is Madagascar’s top power producer and a regional leader in sustainable business. Under Hiridjee, the group has expanded its footprint, including a $63 million acquisition of Wananchi Group, which strengthens enterprise connectivity in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Wananchi provides fiber and long-haul network services to corporate and gov’t clients, enabling AXIAN to bundle cloud, data and IoT solutions.

The integration supports AXIAN’s strategy of offering higher-margin enterprise services over mobile and wholesale infrastructure. With rising data use and corporate digitization in East Africa, combining fiber assets with managed services perfectly positions AXIAN to deepen client relationships and accelerate digital transformation across the East African region.